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The Gentlemen's Bugle Code of Ethics
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The following is the Code of Ethics of The Gentlemen’s Bugle staff in which states the rules, values, and principles of the behavior of individuals that operates in the organization.

Be Responsible

1. We must understand that we are custodians, not owners when writing an article.

2. We must keep ourselves of the print. Student journalists should have no influence over coverage.

3. We must strive for stories that are important or meaningful.

4. We must remember that a journalist guards the people’s interest above all others.

5. We must have big responsibilities in what we write because just because we have the right to say something doesn’t mean to say anything that would hurt that individual.

7. We must demonstrate credibility and integrity in our work.

8. We must be careful in covering certain stories about wrongdoings.

9. We must watch what we say especially profane language but words may be bleeped or obscured

10. We must be efficient and maintain a commendable work ethic.

11. We must show respect towards our peers, teachers, and anyone else who we interview.

12. We must limit how far we can go when writing an article or interviewing.

13. We must speak for everyone, not just for who we want, and have a point of interest for these people.

Be Fair

1. We will not judge and let personal bias associate with our journaling.

2. We will follow a controversy with fairness to both sides.

3. We will not show favoritism in ourselves or other individuals

4. We will look at the controversy from a wide range of perspectives.

5. We will see both sides and understand the view of others.

6. We will not try to get “the last word” by leaving an editor’s note to the editor, which usually doesn’t need a clarification note.

7. We will allow those who are accused to have time to respond to the allegations and won’t go through with a story until seriously contacted.

8. We will Identify and spot all opinions, personal, and institutional perspectives.

9. We will pay attention to the journalist’s personal connection with the story but be more attentive to the story itself.

10. We will be grateful for information the journalists give us and stick with only that; instead of jumping to conclusions.

Be Honest

1. We will never plagiarize.

2. We will never fabricate any work without full disclosure.

3. We will always identify ourselves as journalists.

4. We will hold our brothers accountable for their mistakes.

5. We will keep the promises that we make.

6. We will always question the credibility of our sources.

7. We will always be aware of our tones while reporting.

8. We will never alter our content in a way that could mislead others.

9. We will always get an interviewee’s permission before using a recording device.

10. We will always report the truth, and never be dismissive about it.

11. We will never be biased towards anyone or anything in our writing.

Be Accurate

1. We will do our diligence collecting all the facts.

2. We will consider that everything that is added is relevant and brings out the truth.

3. We will make sure the all-news is reported correctly and in the proper context.

4. We will make sure that before publishing or presenting a story will not be disrupted by the audience.

5. We will also check for accuracy for any quotes and make sure their improper contexts.

6. We will always consider reviewing small contexts to check for accuracy.

7. We will analyze that it comes from a specific source and not from multiple people.

8. We will solve any problem such as plagiarism or grammatical errors in every story.

Be Independent

1. We will recognize the differences between professional news and the student news

2. We will work to get recognized as a public form so that we can control our content

3. We will not allow anyone to affect our story and how we conceive it

4. We will not have any obligation to news outlets

5. We will not accept any gifts, favors, or things of value that could compromise journalists.

6. We will declare anything personal or unavoidable a conflict of interest

7. We will learn any legalities pertain to journalism in the state of texas

8. We will not work for a competing news organization

9. We will hold school officials and decision-makers accountable when our school news organization is threatened

10. We will not give out any favors or show favoritism to any one person or group

11. We will not participate in school government unless we are ready to defend ourselves when a conflict of interest pops up

12. We will not use a byline for editorials that represent another news medium opinion

Minimize Harm

1. We will thoroughly inform scholars of news reports, articles, blogs, newsletters, etc. without jeopardizing safety, personal welfare, and/or feelings.

2. We will report any disputes which are either caused by a story/article.

3. We will contact any and all resources to assist parties from further backlash.

4. We will not disobey any laws; We will also keep in mind that insensitive subjects require faculty supervision to protect our scholars and journalists.

5. We will keep the maturity levels of all parties in mind when reporting.

6. We will not use sources or media for your self-interest or for personal gain.

7. We will show respect and compassion to all scholars.

8. We will not intrude on individual scholars’ lives.

9. We will balance everyone’s right to be in the know and individual rights to be left alone or unbothered.

10. We will respect the privacy of different parties in the school.

11. We will have a good reason or evidence to name other students if optionable.

Be Accountable

1. We will accept criticism and correct ourselves swiftly.

2. We will expose and change all unethical practices in this class.

3. We will use press passes responsibly for press events only.

4. We will be open to the evaluation of consumers

5. We will be friendly towards consumers regardless of the criticism they give us.

6. We will be prepared to justify our reasons, decisions, and actions.

7. We will keep notes and record interviews to be used as evidence for reporting.

8. We will hold school administrators and other students accountable for their actions.

9. We will not abuse our power as journalists and hold ourselves accountable.

10. We will only use anonymous sources if the information given can be verified

The Gentlemen’s Bugle Website Link: https://thegentlemensbugle.org/